Maintenance Manager

Position Summary

The Maintenance Manager is responsible for leading all maintenance operations within a large-scale food manufacturing facility, ensuring the safe, reliable, and efficient performance of production equipment, utilities, refrigeration systems, wastewater operations, and plant infrastructure.

This position oversees maintenance personnel, preventive and predictive maintenance programs, emergency repairs, work order execution, spare parts management, contractor activities, departmental budgets, and capital improvement projects. The Maintenance Manager works closely with Production, Engineering, Food Safety & Quality, Sanitation, Safety, and Operations leadership to maximize equipment uptime, improve asset reliability, and support regulatory compliance.

Essential Responsibilities

• Champion all company policies related to safety, food safety, quality assurance, environmental compliance, sanitation, security, and operational excellence.
• Direct day-to-day maintenance activities to support continuous plant operations and production objectives.
• Manage the troubleshooting, repair, installation, modification, and upkeep of machinery, process equipment, refrigeration systems, utilities, wastewater systems, and facility infrastructure.
• Develop and execute preventive and predictive maintenance strategies to improve equipment effectiveness and minimize unplanned downtime.
• Prioritize maintenance activities based on operational needs, safety risks, regulatory requirements, and equipment condition.
• Analyze recurring equipment issues and implement root-cause corrective actions to improve long-term reliability.
• Maintain detailed maintenance records, asset histories, equipment documentation, and work-order tracking systems.
• Oversee maintenance inventories, including spare parts, tools, and consumables, while controlling costs and maintaining critical stock levels.
• Lead, coach, schedule, and develop maintenance personnel while fostering accountability, productivity, and a strong safety culture.
• Manage employee performance, attendance, training, timekeeping, and workforce planning.
• Partner with engineering and plant leadership on equipment upgrades, facility improvements, and capital expenditure projects.
• Coordinate project schedules, resources, budgets, and contractor activities to ensure successful project execution.
• Review equipment specifications, technical drawings, and engineering documents for operational suitability and maintainability.
• Supervise third-party contractors and vendors performing maintenance, installation, and construction activities.
• Ensure all contracted work complies with company safety, sanitation, food safety, and operational requirements.
• Enforce safe work practices including Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), confined space entry, hot work permits, machine guarding, electrical safety, and fall protection.
• Coordinate maintenance activities with production and sanitation teams to minimize operational disruptions and maintain product integrity.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe maintenance shop and work environment.
• Participate in emergency response efforts and provide support for off-shift or after-hours maintenance needs as required.
• Perform additional duties and special projects as assigned.

Key Performance Metrics

Success in this role may be measured by:

• Equipment uptime and overall equipment reliability
• Reduction in unplanned downtime and emergency repairs
• Preventive maintenance compliance and completion rates
• Work-order completion efficiency and backlog management
• Maintenance labor utilization and overtime control
• Spare parts inventory accuracy and availability
• Budget performance and cost management
• Capital project execution, timing, and spend performance
• Safety performance and corrective action completion
• Regulatory, food safety, and audit readiness
• Employee engagement, development, and retention

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Maintenance, Industrial Technology, or a related technical discipline required.

Experience

• 5 years of maintenance leadership experience within food manufacturing, protein processing, consumer packaged goods, or a comparable industrial production environment.
• Experience managing maintenance teams in a highly automated manufacturing setting preferred.
• Prior experience supporting refrigeration, utilities, and facility systems is strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Proven leadership skills with the ability to build high-performing maintenance teams.
• Strong mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, and troubleshooting expertise.
• Demonstrated experience with preventive, predictive, and reliability-centered maintenance practices.
• Working knowledge of industrial production systems, utilities, and facility operations.
• Ability to read and interpret blueprints, electrical schematics, technical manuals, and engineering drawings.
• Strong understanding of workplace safety programs, including LOTO, machine guarding, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Excellent organizational, project management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to make sound decisions in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Experience utilizing CMMS or EAM systems for maintenance planning and reporting.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate across all levels of the organization and with external vendors and contractors.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Position requires work in both an office setting and an active manufacturing environment.
• Exposure to varying temperatures, humidity, noise, moving machinery, industrial chemicals, and other typical manufacturing conditions.
• Ability to safely access production areas, utility rooms, maintenance shops, refrigeration operations, and other plant facilities.
• Must be able to stand, walk, bend, climb, reach, and navigate industrial environments for extended periods.
• Ability to occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds.
• Flexibility to work outside normal business hours and respond to equipment or operational emergencies when necessary.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Travel

• Limited travel, generally less than 10%, for vendor meetings, training programs, industry events, or support of other operational locations as needed.